pester

verb

pes·​ter ˈpe-stər 

pestered; pestering ˈpe-st(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

obsolete : overcrowd

2

: to harass with petty irritations : annoy

Synonyms

• bother
• bug
• chivy
• chivvy
• disturb
• intrude (upon)

Choose the Right Synonym for pester

worry, annoy, harass, harry, plague, pester, tease mean to disturb or irritate by persistent acts.

worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

Examples of pester in a Sentence

Leave me alone! Stop pestering me!

one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing

Recent Examples on the Web

The thought of the building imploding hadn’t pestered him or crossed his mind much. —Chris Kenning, USA TODAY, 30 Oct. 2024

And that's a shout-out to in the early days of the work at this quarry, the field crew was just relentlessly pestered by flying gnats and biting gnats. —Abc News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2024

What a selfish request and to keep pestering it for years is so rude. —Erin Clack, People.com, 19 Oct. 2024

The video resembles a classic Looney Tunes bit, with the mischievous duck going out of its way to bother a lemonade stand owner, repeatedly pestering him for grapes, only to ask for lemonade when the owner finally gives in. —Dani Di Placido, Forbes, 13 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

modification of Middle French empestrer to hobble, embarrass, from Vulgar Latin *impastoriare, from Latin in- + Late Latin pastoria tether — more at pastern

First Known Use

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pester

verb

pes·​ter ˈpes-tər 

pestered; pestering -t(ə-)riŋ 

: annoy, bother